Gun-wad felt and process of making.



A. L. CLAPP. GUN W'AD FELT AND PROCESS 0F MAKING. APPLICATION FILED MAY27.1915. RENEwEn APR. 1.1915.

Patented May 6, 1919.

'the same. w

l @Wm ALBERT L. CMPP, DF BMINTREE, MASSCHSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 THE METALITE CUMIPANY, 01E' AMESBURY, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

GUN-WAI) FELT AN) PRCESS F MKING.

rename..

Specification of Letters Patent.

ratentec may c, mie.

Application filed may 27,1915, Serial No. 30,764. Renewed April ,1, 1916. Serial No. 39,396.

improvement in Gun-Wad Felt and. Processes ofl Making, of which the following descrip-4 tion, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specication, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

My present invention is an improved article of manufacture, intended particularly for use in waddings for guns, cartridges, or the like, and consists in such an improved article and in the novel process of making ln the accompanying drawing, Figures l and 2 represent the' pressed sheet and Figs. 3 and 4 the gunwads.

ll'n the manufacture of wadding material for use incartridges, and lirearms generally,

` the material, as heretofore made, is expensive, consisting 'in a mixture of animal hair, glue, and flour` being made on a fullmg machine, such as is ordinarily. employed in felt-v ing. It will be readily appreciated that in this particular art, c'. e., w'adding for firearms, a highly resilient material is neces# sary, which will pack down rmly between the charge of powder and the bullet, shot,

or the like, and yet which will not change its -condition nor disintegrate during long pe- .riods of time.

make such waddingA material on a fullingY r lt has been customary to machine, as above explained, and then to cut the wads from 'the rough sheets thus n nnile. j A.- grea't objection to the old style material 1s that the mixture of hair, glue, and Hour necessary, results in hardening the hair in a short time, rendering it unelastlc and not suitable for use. As a great deal of this Wadding is made up in cartridges and must be held stock for long periods before shipment or use, the ineciency of such wad: ding through the change due to hardening and brittleness'of the hair renders it unsuitable and unsatisfactory in many cases.

ll have discovered that l can produce an article of manufacture 'which is especially suitable forA gun-wadding at a fraction of the expense heretofore involved in old-style processes and materials, 4and which isalso lighter and of higher resiliency. ll ntllize a `mixture of animal hair and wood pulp,

4 f' treating both the Wood pulp and.. hair in apartlcular manner, mixing them in an ordinarybeater, but in a. particular way, and forming a sheet of felt-like material in a mold where it is` screened, dried, and subsequently pressed. In carrying out this int vention, I am enabled to use from 20 to 40% of woodpulp, which is veryV inexpensive,

grinding such wood pulp in an ordinary beater and treatmgit with a small percentage, approxlmately 5%, of causticl soda,

which renders thewood pulp soft and also makes it fluy. l their treat the remaining proportion ofanimal hair in a similar beater,

but with the beatingI knives so set as not to cut the hair materiah allowing it to slip through the cutting knives and thus preserve the iiber. With the hair thus in the beater lv also add 'a small percentage of 'caustic soda," soap, or an equivalent, which still further preserves the liber or the hair from injury by facilitating its slipping by the beater knives, and straightening out as the hair is dumped into a mold. With the wood pulp and hair thus separately treated,

l then'niix the desired portions `in a common beater, preferably pouring the wood pulp in the beater in which the hair has been treated so as to insure that the beater knives will not damage the` fiber of the hair. During mixing, l prefer to add a small percentage of animal sizing,'for example 10% of casein, which constitutes'a binder and 'gives firmness and tenacity to the entire a mold having asuitable screen to drain out the water, and-preferably a plunger or the like isapplied to the mass vin the moldto further squeeze out the water; after which the sheet material is dried, and preferably again repressed. As. thus made, my improved material is extremely light and will maintain its resiliency through long periods of time, especially when made up into gun .product rlhis product is then dumped into i i wedding in cartridges. Furthermore, I am roc ing both the novel form of article and the process of making the same, as for the manufacture of Wadding material for cartridges, guns, etc., but it will be understood that this is only one of the many uses for which my inventions may be utilized. 4

The important feature consists in the comhination of a resilient felt-like material of Wood pulp and hair mixed, prepared' and treated in a novel manner. The resulting product is useful for all purposes where any kind of resilient felt-like material is desired,

woodvpulp from 20% to 40% in quantityv ofthe prepared hair, separately treated with a small percentage of caustic soda, and both quantities mixed throughout with binding and adhesive agent, and molded into sheets. 2. The process of making gun-wad felt, which consists in treating a quantity of animal hair in a beating machine with a small percentage of caustic soda, and adding thereto 20% to 40% of Wood pulp, mixing said hair so treated with said wood pulp, treating both said quantities during further mixing with a small percentage of animal sizing, pouring the combined mixture into a'mold', draining the Water therefrom and drying the molded product.

, 3. The process of making gun-wad Jfelt, which consists in treating a quantity of animal hair in a beating machine with approximately 5% of caustic soda but so as to retain substantially the original length of the hair,-

and then beating a quantity of wood pulp, simultaneously treating it with approximately 5% of caustic soda, then mixing both hair thus treated and the wood pulp thus treated in the proportion of to 80% of hair to 20% to 40% of wood pulp, and treating the mass thus mixed with approximately 10% of casein, pouring the combined mlxture into 'a mold, draimng the water therefrom and dryin the molded product, and then subjecting 51e same to a pressing action to solidify and form it into sheets of desired thickness.

4, As an article of'manufacture, a feltlike material consisting in the mixture of animal hair and fibrous pulp treated with an 'alkali and thoroughly intermixed in the presence of Water and dried to form a light, resilient mass.

5. As an article of manufacture, a resilient felt-like material consisting of an intimate mixture of alkali-treated animal hair and fibrous pulp with a binder.

6. That process of making felt-like material, which is characterized by treating fibrous cellulose with water and a caustic alkali; treating the mixture of fibrous cell ulose and caustic alkali in water thus obtained to reduce the fibrous cellulose to a finely divided state; treating animal hair in water with a'caustic alkali; thoroughly intermixing the aqueous mixture of alkali and animalv hair thus obtained with the aqueous mixture of alkali and finely divided fibrous cellulose; thoroughly mixing with the mixture thus obtained a suitable sizing material;

thus obtained and thoroughly intermixing therewith at some time during the process, a suitable sizing material; and forming the stock thus obtained into sheets.

8. That process of making felt-like matcrial, which is characterized by treating fibrous stock and animal hair with a solution of alkali, reducing the fibrous stock to a relatively finely divided state and-thoroughly intermixing said fibrous stock with the animal hair; adding to the mixture thus obtained and thoroughly intermixing therewith at some time during the process, a suitable sizing material; and forming the stock thus obtained into sheets.

In testimony whereof, I have 'signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALBERT L. CLAPP;

Witnesses:

GEORGE E. SAMPsoN, HENRIE'rrA NEAL. 

